KEY POINTS:
Whatever is in store for mobile users with the launch of the iPhone here in the coming months, one thing is for sure - GPS Navigation on the phone is going to be a big focus for the handset makers and mobile operators alike in the second
half of the year.
Amid all the speculation about what will and will not be included in iPhone version 2.0, is plenty of talk about it being GPS-capable, so capable of giving better map positioning than currently allowed through mobile phone site triangulation alone.
We've also got Vodafone launching the Compass, a Blackberry with GPS and some fairly decent mapping that allows for in-car and pedestrian turn by turn directions.
That service will cost $10 a month for a subscription or $2.50 to access it as a one-off.
But the really attractive thing for the mobile operators is the ability to sell location-based advertising services. So if you're driving along with your Vodafone Compass, a message may pop up as you approach a petrol station, informing you of a good deal on gas (if that's possible in the days of $2 a litre 91 unleaded).
Even the non-subscription based mobile phone GPS services are upping their game. Nokia has just officially released Nokia Maps 2.0 and better local mapping which is good news for those New Zealanders who have invested in the Nokia N95 or the E90.
TechFreak has the Nokia maps situation covered on his excellent Nokia-centric blog - start by reading this useful three-part guide to GPS on Symbian handsets.
As TechFreak points out, Nokia maps on those shiny new phones prior to these latest updates were "utter rubbish". I downloaded some maps for Europe when I was over there in February and got much more detailed mapping than what has been available here. The upgrade, which I've just downloaded from the Nokia website, evens the playing field.
You get free, detailed maps of New Zealand, pedestrian navigation, multimedia guides of cities and apparently, satellite imaging, ala Google Maps satellite view. There's also an improved user-interface.
The good thing about Nokia's system for GPS is that the maps are free to download. So if you're heading to London, as I am next month, you can download the map for the United Kingdom and have detailed mapping information and your position plotted on the map when you're trying to navigate London streets.
As an optional extra you can get turn by turn and voice guided navigation in the car - just like using an in-car GPS system though the screen won't be as big. I'm Interested to hear from any readers who have test-driven Nokia Maps 2 and the updated New Zealand mapping - both have been in beta release for months now.
Sky hits download
The download service Sky has been working on is live and being touted prominently on the front page of its website. Remember, this is the service that lets existing Sky subscribers pay an extra $5 a month to be able to download programmes and movies that match their monthly subscription.
It's a form of catch-up TV for those who don't have MySky recorders. It only really applies to movies and sports channels at the moment, so you're out of luck if like me you're on the entry-level Sky package. But there's plenty of content already available - 114 downloads on offer in the sport category, 17 in movies and 10 on the Rialto Channel.
At the moment you need to be a Sky subscriber to access the downloads, though there is talk of expanding the service at a later date to offer it to non-Sky subscribers.
As it currently stands, Vodafone and TelstraClear broadband customers can download the content without eating into their monthly data allowance. That's a very good thing as some of these files will be very big. A deal with Telecom is apparently in the works. The files are laced with Windows DRM so playback in Windows Media Player is required.
I haven't a premium Sky package, so haven't downloaded anything yet. Have you? What's the user-experience like and the quality of the playback? Is it worth the $5 a month 'technical access' fee"?